Disgraced indie mogul Harvey Weinstein has responded to Tuesday’s New York Times report about the culture of “complicity” that enabled him to operate despite accusations by dozens of women of inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct.
“Mr. Weinstein has never at any time committed an act of sexual assault, and it is wrong and irresponsible to conflate claims of impolitic behavior or consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of criminal conduct,” the mogul said in a statement issued Wednesday through his lawyers, Blair Berk and Ben Brafman.
“There is a wide canyon between mere allegation and truth, and we are confident that any sober calculation of the facts will prove no legal wrongdoing occurred,” they added. “Nonetheless, to those offended by Mr. Weinstein’s behavior, he remains deeply apologetic.”
In addition, Weinstein’s lawyers rebutted suggestions in the Times piece that he “had long used his company credit card with abandon, relying on assistants to classify what was business or personal, sometimes writing checks to reimburse the company.”
“At no time during his tenure at either Miramax or TWC did Mr. Weinstein ever utilize company resources for personal expenditures, and in the few instances where there was any confusion, Mr. Weinstein immediately reimbursed the company out of his own pocket,” his lawyers said.
The new Times piece is a lengthy list of participants in a so-called “complicity machine” that surrounded Weinstein at Miramax and TWC as well as at companies like CAA and media outlets with whom he did business and that depended on him for their livelihood.